Tuesday 2 August 2022 06:03 AM Congress accuses Secret Service of cover-up over 'missing' text messages in ... trends now
Top congressional Democrats have accused the US Secret Service of engaging in a cover-up immediately after the January 6 attacks on the nation's Capitol, by allegedly scrubbing text messages that could have incriminated them.
The potentially damning allegations were aired in a letter to the agency's inspector general Monday, penned by New York Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, and Mississippi's Bennie Thompson.
The note saw the two prominent progressives accuse Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari of overseeing the cover-up, and demanded he step aside from his post as the House continues to probe the 2021 riots.
The embattled Homeland security official, who serves as the agency's watchdog, has come under fire after it was revealed he first learned of the missing messages in May 2021 - months earlier than previously known and more than a year before he alerted the House that potentially crucial information may have been erased.
It comes as part of a deepening investigation into the agency's handling of the now-deleted texts, which the reps argue may have provided proof that agents received instruction from higherups during the brazen daytime raid.
Top congressional Democrats have accused the US Secret Service of engaging in a cover-up immediately after the January 6 attacks on the nation's Capitol, by allegedly scrubbing text messages that could have incriminated them.
The potentially damning allegations were aired in a letter to the agency's inspector general Monday, penned by New York Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, and Mississippi's Bennie Thompson
'We are writing with grave new concerns over your lack of transparency and independence, which appear to be jeopardizing the integrity of a crucial investigation run by your office,' Maloney, who also serves as the House Oversight Chair Carolyn and Homeland Security Chair Bennie Thompson wrote in the letter.
'According to recent reports, your office learned that the Secret Service was missing critical text messages as part of your investigation of the January 6 attack against the U.S. Capitol in May 2021 - seven months earlier than previously revealed.'
The high-powered Dems continued: 'The Committees have obtained new evidence that your office may have secretly abandoned efforts to collect text messages from the Secret Service more than a year ago.
'These documents also indicate that your office may have taken steps to cover up the extent of missing records, raising further concerns about your ability to independently and effectively perform your duties as Inspector General (IG).'
The letter further accused the agency of knowingly refusing to hand over the messages despite the House's probe, which began just over a year ago in July in 2021.
The note saw the two prominent progressives accuse Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari of overseeing the cover-up, and demanded he step aside from his post as the House continues to probe the 2021 riots
The deletion of the messages are of particular interest to the House, due to it potentially shedding light on Donald Trump's actions during the insurrection - particularly after recent rumors about a supposed confrontation with security as he tried to join supporters at the riot
It called for two of the office’s top employees to testify this month about the deleted texts and their contents, and asked that an immediate replacement be named for Cuffari.
The Secret Service, meanwhile, maintains that the text messages lost on at least 10 agents'
